Richard Jefferson sounded certain yesterday his Nets will reach the playoffs this season, even if it means getting there by default.

The middle to bottom of the Eastern Conference is such a wreck the Nets can at least embrace the fact their mess doesn’t smell as bad as some other teams’ messes.

“You look at the teams in the six, seven, eight, nine and 10 spots, we’re definitely one of the most talented teams in that group,” Jefferson said. “Are we one of the top three teams? No. But we are a team that should be considered, with the group we have, one of the top eight.”

Maybe that outlook isn’t so bad in the aftermath of the Jason Kidd trade, with Devin Harris – the top player the Nets received in the deal – still unavailable because of a sprained left ankle.

As it stands the Nets (25-31) are seventh in the conference, a half-game ahead of Philadelphia, with Atlanta and Chicago in pursuit of one of the eight playoff spots.

“There is no team behind us where they are so loaded they are definitely going to catch us,” Jefferson said.

The Nets head into tonight’s home game against Orlando with the Kidd talk mostly behind them, confident life isn’t so bad. Two victories in three games – albeit against struggling Chicago and Indiana – since Kidd’s departure to Dallas last week certainly has boosted morale.

“The first step is moving forward mentally, and I think there’s been closure,” Frank said, referring to the Kidd trade.

“We’ve shown some good things in our wins. You always like winning, but the key is – and this is going to sound stupid – you don’t like winning [while] playing poorly. We’ve played fairly [well] to win.”

In addition to Marcus Williams’ production at point guard, Jefferson has raised his level of his play. He scored 36 points in Saturday’s 102-91 victory over Indiana and has averaged 31.3 points since the Kidd trade.

Vince Carter has remained steady, averaging 24 points in the three games.

“We’re going to need both [Jefferson] and Vince,” Frank said. “Richard has been here the longest, he’s been to two NBA Finals and he understands what it takes to be part of a winning formula and his role changes throughout different situations.

“And Vince has obviously been in this situation as the leader of a team in Toronto, so we need both those guys to not only talk [leadership], but show it.”